A new peer-reviewed study, presented at the USENIX Security Symposium, has exposed critical security flaws in consumer travel eSIMs. For enterprises whose employees travel internationally, the findings are a wake-up call. Convenience often comes at the cost of privacy, security, and control.

What the Research Found

1. Undisclosed Routing Through Third Parties
   • Many consumer eSIMs secretly route traffic via unknown intermediaries, including Chinese infrastructure, regardless of where the user is located.
   • This creates serious jurisdictional and compliance risks for businesses handling sensitive data.
2. Opaque Reseller Ecosystem
   • Becoming an eSIM reseller is “surprisingly easy” sometimes requiring little more than an email address and credit card.
   • Resellers can gain access to user identifiers (IMSI, location data), assign public IPs, and even communicate with devices without user awareness.
3. Operational Risks
   • Deletion failures, lock-in, and other provisioning weaknesses expose enterprises to ongoing vulnerabilities.

Why This Matters for Enterprises

For business travelers, these risks are not theoretical. Sensitive corporate data can be routed through foreign networks without visibility or control. Shadow resellers can expose critical data without an IT team even knowing. The result, a serious security gap for companies relying on consumer-grade travel eSIMs.

We’ve already highlighted these concerns in our earlier resources:

• How We Differ from Consumer Travel eSIMs: Insights & Implications
• Why Telecom26 Beats Consumer Travel eSIMs and Global Operator Plans

The Telecom26 Difference: Enterprise-Grade Security

At Telecom26, we are not a reseller. We are a licensed, global mobile operator with an in-house developed SIM Application Toolkit (STK) and our own global core network. That means:

• Guaranteed Data Routing Transparency and Security
  All traffic runs through our secure backbone, with options for private APNs and VPNs. No undisclosed third parties. No hidden jurisdictional risks.
• Protection Against Unauthorised eSIM Communications
  Our in-house STK ensures no covert or unsolicited commands can be pushed to devices. Communications are always transparent and user-authorized.
• Elimination of Untrusted Reseller Risks
  With Telecom26, there are no shadow resellers. Enterprises connect directly to a licensed operator with centralised SIM management, alerts, and full visibility.
• Enhanced Profile Control & Reliability
  Our management portal gives IT teams control over eSIM lifecycle management, avoiding silent deletion failures, lock-in, or bloated profiles.
• Resilience Against SIM-Swap Attacks
  Operating under GSMA international standards, Telecom26’s infrastructure and B2B security focus provide strong protection against SIM-swapping and identity fraud.

Learn more about our Business Travel eSIM solution.

Conclusion

As this independent research confirms, consumer travel eSIMs pose hidden risks that businesses cannot afford to ignore. With Telecom26, enterprises get the flexibility of global eSIMs without compromising on data privacy, compliance, or security.

👉 Ready to see the difference? Request a free trial today.